Help (from WP8) - Driving Mode ?

[AndroidHusband]

Switching to Android from Windows Phone 8. WP8 has an inbuilt feature called Driving Mode, which is triggered by pairing with the car BT. In driving mode all calls are diverted to voicemail and any texts are autoreplied.

So far I have discovered that Android users are clearly high-risk, given the driving apps which encourage in-car calling.

The closest App to give me Driving Mode is "DriveMode " https://drivemode.com/ although I have yet to use it in anger.

Anyone know better ?

 

[mikedt]

If driving mode is triggered by and paired with the car's Bluetooth, IMO calling shouldn't be a problem because that will be handsfree via the car's BT, i.e. both hands are on the wheel and not touching the phone. Certain device manufacturers might do something similar to how Win Phone handles it, but that's down to particular devices, or there might indeed be an app.

If I'm going faster than about 5km/h, it usually means I'm travelling by bus, taxi or train, or someone else is driving the car.

 

[AndroidHusband]

If driving mode is triggered by and paired with the car's Bluetooth, IMO calling shouldn't be a problem because that will be handsfree via the car's BT, i.e. both hands are on the wheel and not touching the phone. Certain device manufacturers might do something similar to how Win Phone handles it, but that's down to particular devices, or there might indeed be an app.

If I'm going faster than about 5km/h, it usually means I'm travelling by bus, taxi or train, or someone else is driving the car.

I once thought like you. But Mythbusters shocked me rigid (http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/videos/hands-free-vs-handheld-minimyth/ ). Since then I want my phone OFF when driving. I don't care about the law (in the UK handsfree is allowed). I care a great deal about my - and others - safety.

So the idea is, when the car is powered on, and the BT connection finds the phone, the phone automatically rejects calls and texts. Sadly most "driving mode" apps I checked out had the opposite intention of allowing you to make calls when driving.

I appreciate Mythbusters is anecdotal. However, in my line of work I have access to petabytes of driving data, and it's all starting to suggest the same. It's entirely possible (certainly in the UK) the law may be revisited. Not least because there are some cretins who not only talk, text and drive, but update their Facebook at 70mph (if you had seen as much dashcam footage as I have, you'd never drive again).

 

[mikedt]

I used to drive 60,000-80,000 miles a year in the UK at one time. Since I've been in China, for over seven years now as a teacher, not had the need to drive at all, and I don't have a driving license for the PRC either. It's supposed to be illegal to hold a phone while driving here...yeh...sure...I think some people don't even know they're supposed to be driving on the right!

 

[Hadron]

I've no experience with such apps, so can't recommend one, but agree that all of the data (not just Mythbusters) show that hands-free calling is also dangerous. The reason it's still allowed is probably a mixture of the greater practical difficulties of banning it and commercial interests - I'd settle for actual enforcement of the ban on handheld phone use as a starting point (and a mandatory lifetime ban for anyone texting while driving, since that is a clear demonstration that you are unfit to operate a vehicle in a public place. I have family who work in the emergency services and have to deal with the consequences of people who think it's OK for them because "they know what they are doing" on a regular basis).

If you can't find an app which does what you want you could probably manage something using an automation app (Tasker, Llama, Macrodroid, etc). Tasker can certainly be set to detect when you are connected to a particular BT device, in which case you could set it to divert calls to voicemail or silence notifications, maybe even auto-respond to SMS. However, Tasker is not notoriously user-friendly, especially at first - I don't know whether one of the others can do the same more easily. We do however have a dedicated Tasker forum here, if you need to go that way.

Personally I just ignore my phone when I'm driving (messages can keep and it can ring out to voicemail), but then I don't leave BT on (and my car doesn't have BT anyway) so there's no way of automating it for me.

 

[chanchan05]

It's a personal preference for someone to answer the phone while driving or not, and sometimes it may be due to their line of work. A doctor for instance, not answering the phone may lead to people getting worse or even dying, if it is an emergency. So diverting the call is not such a good idea. He may also be in a spot where he can't pull over before answering, like in the middle lane in heavy traffic. In the end, it's a personal choice to answer the phone or not.

 

[AndroidHusband]

It's a personal preference for someone to answer the phone while driving or not, and sometimes it may be due to their line of work. A doctor for instance, not answering the phone may lead to people getting worse or even dying, if it is an emergency. So diverting the call is not such a good idea. He may also be in a spot where he can't pull over before answering, like in the middle lane in heavy traffic. In the end, it's a personal choice to answer the phone or not.

We can all invent scenarios where driving & calling might be required. But that's as maybe. 99% of the morons I see yakking away with their phone clamped to their ear *aren't* doctors or brain surgeons, but ignorant selfish cretins with no care for others safety.

Which is why I would (UK based) be happy for there to be a presumption against using a phone while driving *unless* in circumstances as you suggest.

As I say, I'm in a position to access enough data on (UK) driving habits to fill an ocean - morons and cretins are positively mild.

My personal choice is to not receive calls when driving. So far, so 1990s. But given this is the 21st century (except Saudi Arabia where it's not even the second millennium) I can use technology to automatically divert my phone when driving *but* send a message (SMS) to any callers explaining why I can't take their call.

 

[chanchan05]

We can all invent scenarios where driving & calling might be required. But that's as maybe. 99% of the morons I see yakking away with their phone clamped to their ear *aren't* doctors or brain surgeons, but ignorant selfish cretins with no care for others safety.

Which is why I would (UK based) be happy for there to be a presumption against using a phone while driving *unless* in circumstances as you suggest.

As I say, I'm in a position to access enough data on (UK) driving habits to fill an ocean - morons and cretins are positively mild.

My personal choice is to not receive calls when driving. So far, so 1990s. But given this is the 21st century (except Saudi Arabia where it's not even the second millennium) I can use technology to automatically divert my phone when driving *but* send a message (SMS) to any callers explaining why I can't take their call.

Actually I AM in the medical field, so 99% of people I know actually do need to take the calls. But yes it is true that such people are few in numbers compared to the masses of idiots. However, such as it is, it's still a person's prerogative. And such a presumption, while considered safe, would not necessarily prevent people from answering the phones. They could just disable auto-activation of car mode itself on connecting to the car's bluetooth.

I must point out however that I've only used Samsung phones, and Hands Free/Drive mode is just S Voice. When a call comes in, it just says out the number and you use a voice command to accept or reject the call.